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MCC, Philanthropists Inspire Entrepreneurs to Start or Grow a Business in Rochester/Finger Lakes Region (10/15/2018)

Note: This is an ARCHIVED news release. Information in this article may have changed since this was published.

Student presents business idea at Scholars' DayUp to $50,000 in venture funding to be awarded to alumni and student entrepreneurs at first-ever Entrepreneurship Day event on Nov. 2.

To inspire local entrepreneurs and connect them with available resources to start or grow a business in the Rochester and Finger Lakes region, Monroe Community College and the MCC Foundation have partnered with the Everyday Entrepreneur Venture Fund to host Entrepreneurship Day, 7:45 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday, Nov. 2 at MCC’s Downtown Campus, 321 State St., Rochester. The event is free and open to the public. Registration is required and available online at www.monroecc.edu/go/eday/.

“Private philanthropy is at the core of Entrepreneurship Day,” said Gretchen Wood, CFRE, chief advancement officer and executive director of the MCC Foundation. “MCC is one of four U.S. community colleges selected by Chip Weismiller, formerly of Rochester, and his wife, Stuart (Rowayton, Conn.) to receive funding from the Everyday Entrepreneur Venture Fund to help students launch community-based businesses. This event reinforces how MCC is a place where successful entrepreneurs can get their start,” Wood said.

Entrepreneurship Day offers a community resource expo, networking opportunities, sessions on ways to turn ideas into businesses, resource and funding panel sessions, and presentations from successful entrepreneurs. Dixon Schwabl Chief Executive Officer Lauren Dixon and Sonya Allen of Sonya Allen Interiors are featured keynote presenters.

Attendees will also hear from MCC alumni and students who successfully pitched new businesses in April and will participate in the college’s first-ever Launch Your Business! Challenge. After taking the MCC Corporate College Launch Your Business! Certificate Series over the summer and working with mentors from the local business community, five aspiring entrepreneurs are now vying for up to $50,000 in venture funding made possible by the Everyday Entrepreneur Venture Fund. Participants include Francine Burks (Rochester), Oushawndra Chavers (Rochester), Patricia Drumright (Rochester), Wayne Howard (Rochester), and Mary McCormack (Bloomfield).

“Our five outstanding Launch Your Business! finalists have solid business plans and are ready to start a business or take their existing business to the next level,” said MCC Associate Professor of Business Administration & Economics Kathleen Borbee. Borbee co-chairs the Launch Your Business! initiative at MCC with MCC Associate Professor of Design Marj Crum. “The educational opportunities the students received at MCC, coupled with support from the local business community, have helped them prepare for this exciting moment. We hope community members will come to Entrepreneurship Day and show their support,” Borbee said.

Launch Your Business! is led by MCC’s Business Administration & Economics Department, in partnership with the School of Business & Entrepreneurial Studies, the Economic & Workforce Development Center, and the MCC Foundation.

To learn more about Entrepreneurship Day, visit www.monroecc.edu/go/eday or contact MCC Associate Professor of Business Administration & Economics Sherry Tshibangu at launchbiz@monroecc.edu or (585) 292-3265.

About Everyday Entrepreneur Venture Fund
The Everyday Entrepreneur Venture Fund launches committed community college entrepreneurs into business, with a focus on community-based startups, scale-ups of existing alumni businesses and the implementation of proven, replicable business models. Other colleges establishing similar programs with support from Everyday Entrepreneur Venture Fund include Hillsborough Community College (Tampa, Fla.), Middlesex Community College (Lowell, Mass.) and Wayne County Community College District (Detroit, Mich).

About the Monroe Community College Foundation
The Monroe Community College Foundation seeks philanthropic investment to advance academic achievement, innovation, and the mission of excellence at the College. The MCC Foundation is ranked No. 2 among SUNY community colleges for total support.

Media Contact:
Rosanna Yule
Government and Community Relations
585-292-3024
ryule@monroecc.edu